The present invention generally relates to embroidery equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to devices used in the embroidery of headgear and other products that have a protrusion such as a bill.
As technology advances, people desire more elaborate and far-reaching methods of identification as individuals or to identify with a particular group. Companies desiring to create employee unity or brand awareness provide their logo on clothing. People identify with sports teams, schools or other institutions as a means of support or identification with that group. In each of these, the use of embroidery is much superior in durability and long-term appearance than silk screening or other printing processes. As such, the embroidery of clothing and other cloth materials is a thriving industry.
One such embroidered product that stands out is the cap. A billed cap or xe2x80x9cbaseballxe2x80x9d cap is commonly worn by everyone from athletes to fans and even someone that just wants to keep the sun out of their eyes while mowing the lawn. A logo on a cap is extremely valuable regarding visibility of that logo in that it is the closest to eye level of any worn item as the wearer is viewed by someone else. The problem with embroidery on the front of the billed cap is the bill. This protrusion extends several inches beyond the front of the cap and immediately adjacent to the area that is embroidered. As such, the bill is commonly in the way of the embroidery machine. If the cap is bumped during the embroidery process the registration of one color thread relative to the next color thread used would be lost and the cap would be scrapped. This increased scrap rate greatly increases the cost of production. Few attempts have been made to correct this problem. One attempt has been by use of a rubbing plate that is a stationary plate mounted on the machine. As the cap is rotated and moved in the embroidery machine to embroider the logo or other art, this bill is also rotated side-to-side and front to back. The rubbing plate latterly rubs against the bill of the cap as it moves to keep it clear from the area that is being embroidered. As one can imagine, this xe2x80x9cbeating xe2x80x9d of the bill against the rubbing plate only increases the chances of knocking the cap loose, thus losing registration and scrapping the item.
In one aspect, the invention features an embroidery machine with a cap bill support device, the machine including a hat hoop base frame. The device includes bill hook capable of physical attachment to the cap bill and a base support secured to the hat hoop base frame. The base frame receives the bill hook, thereby offering removable support of the cap bill when positioned adjacent to the hat hoop base frame.
The machine may also include a hook that is pivotally mounted to the base support. The hook may include a substantially xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped arm including a foot, thereby enabling attachment to the cap bill. The hook may also include a clamp that is releaseably secured to the cap bill. The arm of the hook is received by the base support and optimally received by a lip hook on the base support. The support device may comprise a substantially flat plate including at least one mounting hole, thereby enabling mounting of the substantially flat plate to a peripheral flange on the hat hoop base frame. Alternatively, the arm may be received by a lip hook on a visor bracket, which is mounted to the hat hoop base frame.
In another aspect, the invention includes a method of providing a method of supporting a cap bill to facilitate the embroidery of a cap and including the steps of providing a device as previously described and positioning a cap in the embroidery device adjacent to the hat hoop base frame. The user displaces a portion of the cap bill toward the base support and attaches the bill hook to the cap bill with the bill hook supported by the base support. This attachment maintains the cap bill in a displaced orientation to facilitate embroidery of the cap.